Aspergers and animals (and living things)

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In general, I have quite learned to use animals (rather insects) as a way of calming myself. Has anyone used any animal (or plant) for this purpose (as a way of relaxing oneself)?

I'd like to have a myrmecarium sometime. Very awesome.

At my local zoo there's a large leafcutter ant colony. I used to have a season pass and would go during the day during the week when there weren't as many people and watch them for hours. The vertebrates have an awareness of your presence that I feel the need to respect more (the Komodo dragon started giving me weird looks after a while), but in the insect/arachnid building I feel less like a voyeur.

As a child, I'd spend most of my afternoons watching jumping spiders or catching crickets or, in cherished rare instances, staring in awe at a praying mantis. I used to dream up vivarium habitat designs for them too, though I would always release them back into the wild. I once got the idea to catch and keep roaches that we'd find in the bathtub some mornings, but my mom nixed that one.

Now as an adult I living in an apartment with no yard, I have precious few moments where I can indulge in arthropod-watching without being judged negatively by society. I worked in a fruit fly lab in college, but I was disappointed by how little time there was for observation.

Yes - birds. Sometimes being around birds is the only time I feel clean.
Plus being outside in wild/natural spaces has a big positive impact on me. Being shut up indoors in human spaces affects me badly. I have a much greater kinship with animals and the natural world than I do with humans and their world.

Dogs- All dogs or my dog anyways I use to help me calm me down. They just help me calm. Rather it's their cute face or friendly nature. They just help me out. And I'm surprised none of the posts on here even has mentioned dogs yet but my.

Cats. If they were able to be trained (ha!) I would license one of ours as an emotional support animal. But we all know how unpredictable and untrainable cats can be.

Ever check out the AntsCanada youtube channel? If not, give it a watch.

Basically being around animals and seeing animals can spin the day around for me if I'm feeling down. There is something about observing animals that is so soothing, how they move, how they interact... it's so captivating. I like birds and bird watching, and I have a cat companion. Looking at her while she cleans her fur is akin to meditating for me.

Snakes! I love my beautiful Ball Python Burrito. She keeps me sane in social gatherings:

- I never have to initiate conversation: I am wearing the conversation starter around my neck.

- I don't have to make eye contact, I have a snake to play with and nobody can judge.

- Nobody wants to touch you to get your attention, as it would put them at risk of touching the harmless noodle on your
neck.

She really is helpful, comforting, adorable, etc.

Cats.

i wouldn't say i use them, but that i find solace in them.
my rats are wonderful animals. we understand each other and communicate with each other in a strange, nonhuman way. they respond to my affection and care and give their own back to me. it's a very simple and pure relationship.

I trained a Service Dog to help me calm down; that is one of his jobs as my Service Dog. He alerts me before meltdowns, guides me away from triggers to somewhere safe and calm, continues to do tactile stimulation or starts deep pressure therapy, stops me from harmful stimming, and his soft fur and comforting scent are a bonus. We also enjoy taking quiet nature walks together. I start to visually stim (which I can only do properly when "alone" in nature) while he guides me and enjoys some sniffing around himself.

I have also had a cat before that. I trained him in basic obedience, and to walk on a leash, but no tasks. Cats cannot be Service Animals in my area and Emotional Support Animals need no training. So, I just enjoyed his natural, loving, pet cat behavior. He loved to curl up on my lap or in the crook of my arm, he loved to give "massages" - the only kind of massage I could tolerate from anyone - and he loved to groom my hair with his tongue. These behaviors were unexpectedly soothing.

My cat. It has been 25 years since I last had one. I almost forgot how calming they are, and loving.

I just found out Pokemon are real

I want an Axolotl

I really loved animals. Personally in a world full of chaos, an animal (or many) are quite fond. Infact, I have quite been able to use pet mantises as a way to calm myself.

When I was a child, I always had fascination with giant emperor scorpions and giant millipedes. Now I'm getting a pair of each! And I'm 16.

Definitely cats